Southern Ocean County Medical Center Gets "C" Grade From A Nonprofit Healthcare Group

by Patricia A. Miller

So how did Southern Ocean County Hospital fare in the Leapfrog Group's semi-annual analysis of the risks of further injuries, infections, medical errors or infections?

The same as last year. The hospital on Route 72 in Manahawkin got a "C."

Hospitals were given a letter grade from A through F based on several factors. Of the 2,571 hospitals studied nationwide, 798 earned an A, 639 earned a B, 957 earned a C, 162 earned a D and 15 earned an F.

The goal was to determine a patient's risk of further injury or infection if they visited a certain hospital.

Hospitals given a B rating by Leapfrog had a 9 percent higher risk of avoidable death than A hospitals. That number jumps to 35 percent in C hospitals and 50 percent higher in D and F hospitals.

Leapfrog ranked 67 New Jersey hospitals.

“It is time for every hospital in America to put patient safety at the top of their priority list, because tens of thousands of lives are stake,” Leapfrog President Leah Binder said in a press release. “The Hospital Safety Score alerts consumers to the dangers, but as this analysis shows, even A hospitals are not perfectly safe.”

To view the entire list of categories for Southern Ocean Medical Center, click here.

Community Medical Center in Toms River also received a C grade. Ocean Medical Center received a B. Atlanticare Regional Medical Center, both the city and mainland campus received an A. Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus - formerly Paul Kimball Hospital - received a C.